The Handmaid's Tale Is Adding Even More Star Power in Season 3

Aunt Lydia's fate is hanging in the balance at the end of season two, because Emily has literally stabbed her in the back and thrown her down a flight of stairs. Sadly, this isn't the end of the villainous character: showrunner Bruce Miller laid it out pretty bluntly. "Aunt Lydia doesn't die. I don't think Aunt Lydia can die. I don't think there are forces in the world strong enough to kill Aunt Lydia." And in the aftermath of this experience? "She's transformed by this event," he said. "It makes her double down that she feels like she just wasn't strong enough in her discipline. So she, I think, has decided it's time to get tough." Woof. As if she wasn't already tough enough.

It would be easy to write this character off the show: he just helped a very notorious handmaid escape Gilead, with a newborn baby no less. He could be dead within hours. But Miller says we haven't seen the last of him. In an interview with Indiewire, Miller called him an "Oppenheimer character," aka "The man who designed an atomic bomb and then saw what it could do. I mean, he's a designer of Gilead, and now he's seen what it can do. So he is a mass of contradictions and dangers, so you never know what he's willing to do, what he's not willing to do."

While that all sounds very vague and mysterious, Miller had this to offer: "He's been protecting himself for a very long time. And his adventure to keep himself alive certainly is not always an adventure that's going to keep the people around him alive. But now that June has crossed paths with him, she's gonna cross paths with him a lot more in Season three." An unexpected ally! Cute!

And now, it's time for new additions! The Wrap has reported that Christopher Meloni has joined the cast as Commander Winslow. According to the story, "Commander Winslow is a powerful and magnetic Commander who hosts the Waterfords on an important trip." Sounds like he's going to get nice and cosy with Commander Waterford.

Yes! Reaser is joining the fold as Commander Winslow's other half, Mrs. Winslow. She reportedly becomes "a friend and inspiration to Serena Joy." It's worth noting that neither of these characters appear in the original Margaret Atwood novel. This means their appearance must be a pretty significant part of the story going forward. Can't wait.